Experimental Forest and Reservoir Brook Trail

This Tuesday Barbara has invited us back to her house after the ride for refreshments and a dip in her pool for those who are so inclined.  To keep the driving and logistics to a minimum let’s do a local ride - The Experimental Forest and Reservoir Brook Trail ride. 

We'll start off at the top of Bear Notch Road and cruise down the dirt roads in the Bartlett Experimental Forest. Then we'll cross over to the east side of Bear Notch Road  and do some fun single track and old logging roads on the Reservoir Brook Trail. 

In all we’ll cover less than 10 miles.  For those of you who want to add to your mileage you could meet us at the top of Bear Notch between 10:15 and 10:30.  Or you could pedal to Barbara’s after the ride.  Or you could add some miles by biking on River Road before the ride. 

Let's meet at 10:00am, in the parking lot off River Road just after it crosses the Saco River in Bartlett.

Directions: Take Route 302 to Bartlett, at the blinking light in the center of Bartlett take a right and in about half a mile you'll cross the Saco River and the parking area will be to the left of the bridge.

Bring your lunch to eat at Barbara’s.  Also pack water, sunscreen and bug spray.

We will need to shuttle people and bikes up to the top entrance of the Experimental Forest (which is almost at the top of Bear Notch) from the parking area. Then we'll start our mostly downhill adventure.

Dam, Dam, Dam, Dam and Hot Dam!

This favorite route, runs from the Gorham train depot to the Berlin eastern depot. It has a lot of variety, not to mention about five dams. We'll start off in downtown Gorham by the old train station and ride past the airport and then ride a mile through the backs woods on the emergency access road which is closed to motorized traffic. After this we will be riding on the eastern end of the presidential rail trail to Berlin on the quiet and beautiful eastern bank of the Androscoggin River.

Along with getting great views of the Androscoggin we'll skirt a gravel pit, go over the very high trestle bridge across route 16 (this is always a thrill), bike by the hydroelectric powerhouse and dam on the canal adjacent to the Androscoggin, view the Cascade Flats complex and dam from the seldom seen east side and visit a waterfall, for a lunch stop.  This is probably the most beautiful fat tire cruiser lunch spot.

The changing surface of this pretty flat ride consists of dirt, ballast, gravel and the occasional mud puddle. This 17 mile out and back route is appropriate for all abilities. The ride will start at 10:00 on Railroad Street across from the Gorham Town Common.

Please Note:  Check back here tomorrow morning around 8am if the weather looks iffy. 

Carpooling: Meet at the Jackson Historical Society aka the Old Jackson Town Hall, parking lot (across from the post office) at 9:20.

Directions: Drive north on route 16 to Gorham. Just before the T intersection with route 2 there will be railroad tracks. Immediately after crossing the tracks turn left onto Railroad Street. Hook a U turn and park on the other side of the road across from the Common.

To view a map of this ride click below.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/20611220

Echo Lake and Moat Mountain Loop

It’s the middle of summer and Tuesday’s forecast is for a hot and muggy day.  So what do you say we do a mellow ride with plenty of shade?  The Echo Lake and Moat Mountain loop fits this bill nicely.  

The starting point will be the parking lot just outside Echo Lake State Park in North Conway.  From there we'll ride south on West Side Road for about 3 miles and then enter The National Forest on a trail in the Cedar Creek Development.  As an added feature, we’ll see the new signs which mark the trail heads and junctions of the Moat Mountain biking system.  These were installed recently by our very own White Mountain NEMBA Chapter in cooperation with The Forest Service. 

After entering the Moat Mountain area we’ll take the old rail trail to the top of the quarry for some great views.  After retracing our way back to Forest Road 379A we’ll head in the general direction of Echo Lake.

Most of this ride is pretty flat and suitable for all abilities. So for those of you who are fairly new to fat tire riding this would be a great ride. We will cover about 4 miles of pavement and 6-8 miles of dirt forest trails.

Meet at 9:00am in the parking lot just outside and to the left of the gates to Echo Lake State Park in North Conway. Bring bug spray, a snack or lunch and sun screen.  See you there.

Presidential Rail Trail - Gorham Side

It looks like Tuesday July 10th is going to be a wonderful day for a ride. So it'll be a great day to ride the eastern end of the gentle and very scenic Presidential Rail Trail.

This easy trail, on the old B&M rail bed, will take us through lovely woods with beaver ponds and meadows and some beautiful mountain views. From the Route 2 trail head we'll ride the old rail bed to the intersection of Pinkham B Road. Then we'll switch to Durand Road and take that to the rail trail's height of land at the Castle Trail in Bowman (Randolph). The return journey will be wholly on the rail trail. 

The ride back to our starting point will be a breeze as it is ever so slightly downhill. In all we'll cover about 20 miles.  The surface of the trail is mostly dirt with some ballast and an occasional sandy spot.  We usually ride this trail earlier in the season as it is a good "starter trail".  But we had all rainy Tuesdays in May.

Directions: Go north on Route 16 to Gorham. When route 16 meets route 2 at the T intersection turn left. Go through Gorham on Routes 16 and 2 until Route 2 diverges to the left at the traffic light . You'll see the trail head parking lot on the right about .8 mile after you turn left on Route 2.

Carpooling:  Meet at the Old Jackson Town Hall at 9:15.  We should start the ride in Gorham by 10:00am. 

Bring sunscreen, plenty of water and a snack (or lunch).  For those who are interested in amazingly good panninis, we can go to Saladino's in downtown Gorham for lunch after the ride.

Warren Rail Trail

Last year we didn’t get to this really nice ride.  Recently there was a request to try this route again and I couldn’t agree more. It’s time to do this scenic and varied rail trail again.  Its going to be a warm summer day tomorrow so this shady, woodsy ride will fit the bill perfectly.  Below is the trail description from the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s website.

“This popular trail starts from an interesting landmark: a Redstone missile brought to Warren by a resident who served in the Army in Alabama in 1970. He found some obsolete missiles in a field and arranged with the Army to transport one back to Warren, aiming to bring something of America's thriving (and far-removed) space program closer to local youth. Placed in the town center in 1971, it remains a prominent fixture.

The rail-trail (a.k.a. the Jesse E. Bushaw Memorial Trail or New Hampshire Snowmobile Corridor No. 5) is a pleasant and picturesque 9.4-mile multipurpose route. The hard-packed dirt surface is generally wide, smooth, and flat, and motorized use is permitted, making it popular among ATV riders in summer and snowmobilers in winter. The trail also welcomes walkers, bikers, equestrians, and anglers eager to try their luck in trailside brooks and ponds.

While most of the route is straight with few technical obstacles, between miles 6 and 7, the trail dips and climbs steeply as it diverges from the railbed to follow State Route 25. Where it rejoins the corridor, the route again runs straight and flat.

Around mile 8, just after you pass the concrete cubes protecting this section of the trail from motorized use, you'll enter the Oliverian Valley Wildlife Preserve's Habitat Management Demonstration Area. Viewing platforms on either side of the path help you keep an eye out for birds and other wildlife.  In the final mile, the trail passes under power lines, swings to the right, and crosses a brook. You'll emerge on State Route 25 in East Haverhill."
Directions: Take the Kanc (route 112) to North Woodstock go across route 3 and continue on route 112 for 2.6 miles. Take a left onto route 118 which will take you to Warren. Look for the upright missile in downtown Warren and we'll figure out parking from there.

Carpooling: For those people who will use Bear Notch Road meet at the Attitash parking lot at 8:45am. We should be ready to start the ride around 10am.  If you plan to drive directly to Warren please let me know.  Just to make sure that we don’t ride off without you. There is a very yummy ice cream shop in North Woodstock where we can “reward” ourselves on the trip home.

Map link:http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/nh/-warren/897125621736444678

Bring plenty of water, lunch and bug spray.